With over 20 years of experience covering the Steelers for the Observer-Reporter, Dale Lolley will let you know the insider scoop. Dale can also be heard on the Steelers radio network pre-game show on WDVE-FM game days and Tuesday nights from 6 to 8 p.m. on ESPN 970-AM during the season as a host of the Antonio Brown Show. Follow him on Twitter at dlolleyor.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

No sooner had the Steelers released wide receiver Cedrick Wilson than the finger-pointing started.

Releasing Wilson following his arrest for assault while keeping linebacker James Harrison following an incident in which he received similar charges showed the Steelers’ hypocrisy.

But that’s not the whole story.

Are different players treated differently for the same infraction? Absolutely.

But there’s more to it than just that.

As team president Dan Rooney later explained, “In the situation with James Harrison, he contacted us immediately after his incident and has taken responsibility for his actions. In today's decision with Cedrick Wilson, we determined the situation was severe enough to warrant the player being released immediately.”

There was also a difference in the two situations beyond that.

While Wilson stormed into a public place and allegedly struck his former girlfriend in a crowded restaurant, Harrison allegedly struck his girlfriend at a private residence.

What’s the difference, you might ask?

In Wilson’s case, there are 50 to 100 witnesses that saw him strike his former girlfriend.

In Harrison’s case, the only two people who know what happened are Harrison and his girlfriend.

And, right or wrong, these kind of cases often come down to a he-said, she-said situation.

Harrison reportedly admitted to police and the Steelers immediately after his incident that he did, indeed, strike the woman.

That, in itself, shows some remorse.

Fact is, he could have said nothing happened and would have had a good chance of getting the charges dropped in court.

Wilson’s infraction, on the other hand, showed an extreme lack of sense. Who, after all, goes into a restaurant and picks a fight? And with a woman, at that?

Couple that with the problems the couple had in January, when police were called to Wilson’s home after the woman in question fired a couple of shots – while Wilson wasn’t there – following an argument, and you see a relationship that is troubled.

In fact, it’s a good idea that if SWAT is called into your relationship, you probably shouldn’t see that person any more.

The Steelers likely sat down with Wilson after that and told him as much. Yet he walked into a crowded restaurant and slugged his former girlfriend.

Smart.

Would the Steelers have released Wilson if he were a starting wide receiver?

Maybe, maybe not.

But the fact is, he isn’t.

And different employees are treated differently, based on their value to the company.

Harrison is likely looking at a one-game suspension – at least – from the NFL for his infraction if convicted.

Perhaps the Steelers felt that punishment in itself will be enough to insure that Harrison will walk the straight and narrow from now on.

In Wilson’s case, he was a guy who already had a tenuous spot, at best, on the roster. His arrest and the fact there was no doubt about his actions was just the final straw.

The biggest thing to me is that these kind of incidents are a symptom of one of the ills of our society.

The Steelers have had four players arrested for assault on a woman they were involved with in recent years – Santonio Holmes, Najeh Davenport, Harrison and Wilson.

In each case, the woman involved was somebody that the player had fathered a child with out of wedlock.

That, in itself, is usually a recipe for problems.

The mother is angry that the father didn’t marry her. The father usually ends up angry because he doesn’t get to see the child as much as he likes – if he wants to at all. And those bad feelings lead to plenty of arguments.

But society doesn’t frown upon these kind of unions as it did, say, 30 years ago.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

According to reports, wide receiver Cedrick Wilson has been arrested for a fight at a restuarant in Pittsburgh.

If this is the case, it could spell the end of Wilson's days with the Steelers.

Wilson, you'll remember, was involved with an altercation with his then-girlfriend at his home. She apparently had an armed standoff with police at the home - though Wilson was not there.

In the latest altercation, Wilson reportedly assaulted the now ex-girlfriend.

Though technically, he wasn't at fault - though if you read some of the things she claimed he said to her, he was – in the first altercation, there certainly will be plenty of witnesses around for this latest run-in.

It won't be a matter of he-said, she-said. It will be a matter of what the crowd witnessed.

Monday, March 10, 2008

The Steelers had Hadnot in for a visit last week, soon after the loss of Alan Faneca in free agency.

But as I had previously stated, I wasn't a big fan of signing him since Miami had let him walk with no apparent replacement in sight.

Those notions were verified over the weekend by people I talked to, who told me Hadnot is a journeyman-type and would have been a negligible upgrade over center Sean Mahan.

Now, the Steelers can look elsewhere for help.

One player who would intrigue me is former Jacksonville guard Chris Naeole.

Naeole ended the 2007 season in injured reserve after suffering a torn tendon in his quad and was released March 3.

The 33-year-old is a nasty run blocker who had proven to be very durable in his 12-year career before this recent injury. If he checks out OK physically, he could be just the kind of player who would help the Steelers up front immediately.

Thursday, March 06, 2008

Free agent free safety Chris Crocker visited the Steelers Thursday, but left without a contract.

Crocker, a former Browns' draft pick, played in 2007 for Atlanta, recording a career-high three interceptions.

Crocker is the second free safety brought in by the Steelers for a visit this week, joining New England's Eugene Wilson.

That would seem to signal that the team was not only unhappy with Anthony Smith and Tyrone Carter at the position after Ryan Clark was lost for the season, but that it doesn't have a lot of faith that Clark will recover from his surgery to remove his spleen.

With Ben Roethlisberger due a $3 million roster bonus March 5, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been focused on signing their franchise quarterback.

And that deal is getting closer to happening.

Meanwhile, save guard Alan Faneca’s signing with the New York Jets, all has been relatively quiet for the Steelers on the free agent front, particularly compared to what’s been happening with some of their rivals in the AFC North.

Cleveland has been a major player in the first few days of free agency, signing former New England wide receiver Donte Stallworth to a seven-year, $35-million contract; trading a fifth-round draft pick and cornerback Leigh Bodden to Detroit for defensive tackle Shaun Rogers; sending a second-round pick to Green Bay for defensive end Corey Williams – and signing him to a six-year, $38-million deal; and re-signing quarterback Derek Anderson to a three-year, $26-million deal.

Consider the team had already signed running back Jamal Lewis to a three-year, $17-million deal prior to the opening of free agency, and the Browns have taken on a ridiculous amount of money for what? A quarterback with one good season under his belt, an overweight nose tackle who played – when he felt like it – on the worst defense in the NFL last season, a defensive end who’s never played in a 3-4, and a wide receiver who has spent more time nursing injuries than he has catching passes during his career.

In return, the Browns have given up pretty much their entire 2008 draft and their best cornerback.

It’s a pretty big gamble, one that could add up to a winning season or two, but in the long run will severely damage Cleveland considering the amount of money the Browns are spending.

Cincinnati, meanwhile, has seen two of its better defensive players, defensive end Justin Smith and free safety Madieu Williams, sign with San Francisco and Minnesota, respectively.

And the Bengals have yet to make a free agent addition.

Considering the Bengals’ defense was among the worst in the league last season – and in the past decade, for that matter – that’s not a good sign.

Baltimore, meanwhile, has had no free agent losses, but hasn’t added anyone, either.

So while Steelers fans may gnash their teeth over the loss of Faneca – something that hurts, but was not unexpected – a quick look around the division shows Pittsburgh isn’t really in bad shape.

Certainly losing Faneca hurts the Steelers, but don’t think for a second that the team is going to sit on its hands and come back with the same cast of characters – minus Faneca – that it fielded in 2007.

Signing Roethlisberger to a long-term contract was the team’s main focus for this offseason and that’s going to get done.

And once it is, the Steelers will focus on the offensive line, both in free agency and the draft.